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A Message from Our Director
Inner Resources by Paul Botello, located at City Terrace Park. LA County Civic Art Collection. |
Dear Friends,
As we move through the challenges of this summer, I am reflecting on the power of the arts to build resilience, connection, and opportunity across Los Angeles County. Below are updates that highlight how our department, together with grantees, artists, and partners, continues to work toward a more creative and equitable region—in and through the arts!
This July marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Disability Pride Month in LA County. It’s a time to reaffirm our commitment to access and representation in the arts, and uplift our grantees such as L.A. GOAL and Arts UP! LA who ensure that arts and culture remain inclusive for all Angelenos.
In the face of fiscal pressures and shifting federal priorities, I am grateful to the Board of Supervisors for enabling us to award over $5.5 million to hundreds of arts nonprofits through our Organizational Grant Program and Community Impact Arts Grant. These investments help sustain the work of artists and cultural organizations across the LA region, enriching our communities through performances, exhibitions, youth engagement, cultural preservation, and more. Our grant applications for the upcoming cycle are opening soon, by the way—we encourage you to apply and help us spread the word.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We look forward to working together to sustain a vibrant cultural future for Los Angeles County.
Onward!
Kristin Sakoda |
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Caption (L – R): Kevin Al Perez (Somos Familia Valley), Anji Gaspar-Milanovic (Arts and Culture, Grants and Professional Development), Vanessa Neva Verdoodt (Culture Flow Project), Rosalyn Escobar (Arts and Culture, Grants and Professional Development), Adelaide Kuehn (Arts and Culture, Grants and Professional Development), Le Nguyen (LA River Public Art Project), Amy Turk (Downtown Women’s Center), Marah Morris (Arts and Culture, Grants and Professional Development), Supervisor Janice Hahn, Izzy Matos (CityHeart), Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, Andrew Lewis (Acton Agua Dulce Arts Council), Supervisor Kathryn Barger (Chair of the Board), Fernando Pullum (Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center), Martín Hernandez (Arts and Culture, Grants and Professional Development), Kristin Sakoda (Arts and Culture, Director), Austin Gomez (Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley and Eastside), Eugene Hutchins (Altadena Music Theatre), Helen Alonzo Hurtado (Las Fotos Project). Photo credit: Bryan Chan. |
DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE AWARDS $5.59M TO ARTS, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
On July 15, we announced awards for 349 nonprofits that deliver arts and cultural programming through our 2025-2026 Organizational Grant Program and Community Impact Arts Grant."The Department of Arts and Culture’s grant programs support an incredible range of nonprofit organizations, which in turn bring the arts to communities all over the County,” said Board Chair Kathryn Barger. “The arts contribute to our creative economy, our communities, and overall wellbeing. We know not just from research, but also by hearing directly from our constituents, that their lives, mental health, and connection with others is strengthened when they engage in the arts. All of our Los Angeles County residents deserve these resources. I’m proud to support access to the arts for everyone through our Department of Arts and Culture’s nonprofit grants." |
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Grant Applications Open soon
Photo courtesy of OGP grantee Ghost Road Theatre Company. |
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Speaking of grants, applications for both our Organizational Grant Program (OGP) and Community Impact Arts Grant (CIAG) program open next month! And applications for our Arts Internship Program (AIP) in early September! |
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Organizational Grant Program (OGP)
Photo courtesy of OGP grantee Musical Theatre West.
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OGP provides Los Angeles County nonprofit arts organizations funding to address priority needs and ensure cultural services for our diverse communities.
Applications open August 25
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Community Impact Arts Grant Program (CIAG)
Photo courtesy of CIAG grantee Esperanza Community Housing.
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CIAG supports arts projects and programming taking place at nonprofit social service and social justice organizations, and in tribal governments and municipal departments, enabling these organizations to deliver a wide variety of cultural services to County residents that support arts and culture throughout the region.
Applications open August 25
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Arts Internship Grant Program (AIP)
Students attend the 2024 Arts Internship Program Summit. Photo by Yoko Morimoto.
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The Arts Internship Program provides eligible LA County arts nonprofits, municipalities, and social justice and social service organizations that offer arts programming with grants to hire undergraduate and community college students for 400 hours of paid work experience. The program will maintain a flexible timeline to be responsive to both students and organizations.
Applications open September 4
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New Release
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Art & Social Justice - LA County Civic Art for the Public Defenders Office
Art & Social Justice - LA County Civic Art for the Public Defenders Office highlights the work of eight incredible artists, commissioned by our Civic Art Division, who created works that tell the stories of the people who walk through the doors of public defense, from attorneys and investigators, to the clients they represent. We announced last month that the project won a 2025 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award. Now, we are pleased to share the artists’ work with you in a new publication. |
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Arts Internships Still Available
Arts interns attend the 2024 Arts Internship Program Summit. Photo by Yoko Morimoto. |
Do you know a university or community college student who's looking for an arts internship? The 2025 Arts Internship Program offers paid on-the-job experience at arts at organizations across the LA region. What's more, all internships provide 400 hours of work experience at $17.87 an hour.
NOTE: Students will nened to apply directly to the host organizations via the information found on our website. |
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Open Call
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Art Consultants Prequalified List
The Department of Arts and Culture seeks qualifications from Art Consultants to expand a diverse Prequalified List of individuals and/or teams with a wide variety of experience to provide curatorial, public programming, community engagement, and public art project management services on an as-needed basis within a large range of budgets, project types, and constituencies.
This opportunity will expand the existing Art Consultant Prequalified List that is used to invite selected Art Consultants to bid on specific projects on an as-needed basis.
NOTE: Art Consultants on the current Prequalified List will not need to re-apply and will automatically qualify for the 2025 Prequalified List.
Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 | 5PM (PDT)
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IN BRIEF
- Artist Alison Saar’s Embodied artwork, commissioned and part of the LA County Civic Art Collection, is featured in LAist—a great read about her process and the importance of civic art in Los Angeles.
- We want to share next month’s "Know Your Rights!" virtual events (in English and Spanish) from the Office of Immigrant Affairs. Learn more.
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